Best Place for a Kid's Birthday Party

Borracchini's Bakery

There's a certain age in one's life when no party is complete without princess plates, Harry Potter napkins, or balloons waiting to be tossed around the living room. If you have someone of that age in your life, head to Borracchini's Bakery, an old-time Italian establishment that harkens back to days when Rainier Valley constituted the "garlic gulch." The bakery is only one component of the store, which is something like a blue-collar version of downtown's DeLaurenti. But the owners seem to have decided that since they're selling sheet cakes piled high with icing, they might as well become a one-stop-shopping party store. Staff will even blow up your balloons. While you shop, the kids can watch cake decorators squeeze their giant tubes, creating edible flowers that appear like magic. NINA SHAPIRO 2307 Rainier Ave. S., 325-1550, nowcake.com